The District of Columbia Judicial Nomination Commission (Commission) has advised the President that the Honorable Anthony C. Epstein, who has been recommended for his consideration to nominate and appoint a judge on the District of Columbia Court of Appeals (Court of Appeals) created by the retirement of the Honorable Kathryn A. Oberly, has withdrawn his candidacy.
Further, the Commission has advised the President that Lee W. Jackson, who has been recommended for his consideration to nominate and appoint a judge on the Superior Court of the District of Columbia (Superior Court) created by the retirement of the Honorable Wendell P. Gardner, Jr., has withdrawn his candidacy.
In accordance with D.C. Code § 1-204.34(d)(2) and DCMR § 28-2103.5, the Commission recommends the Honorable Robert Okun for the President’s consideration, along with any other candidates previously recommended to fill the Oberly vacancy:
Hon. Robert Okun has been an Associate Judge on the Superior Court since June 2013. He has served in the Civil, Family, and Criminal Divisions. Judge Okun currently chairs the Committee on CJA Investigators and co-chairs the Committee on Pro Bono and Affordable Counsel. He’s also a member of several other court committees, including the Committee on Jury Instructions, Committee on Jury Management, Committee on Superior Court Rules, Standing Committee on Fairness and Access to the DC Courts, and Committee on CJA Panel Attorneys.
Prior to becoming a judge, Judge Okun served for almost twenty years in the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, where he tried cases in both the Superior Court and the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. He argued appeals in the Court of Appeals and the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Judge Okun served as an attorney in the Office of Consumer Litigation of the United States Department of Justice, where he prosecuted civil and criminal violations of various consumer protection statutes, and in the Fraud Section, where he prosecuted fraud committed against the federal government. Judge Okun was also an attorney advisor at the Federal Trade Commission, overseeing investigations and litigation concerning false and deceptive trade practices.
Judge Okun has been an active member of the District of Columbia Bar, serving on the Board of Governors, as the Chair of the Judicial Evaluation Committee, and as a member of the Rules of Professional Conduct Review Committee. For several years, he served as the chair of a hearing committee for the Board on Professional Responsibility, where he presided over hearings involving alleged attorney misconduct. Judge Okun has taught courses on white-collar crime and legal reasoning at both The Washington College of Law and The American University, and he has taught classes on civic responsibility to fifth-grade students at District of Columbia public schools.
Judge Okun received his Bachelor of Arts degree, magna cum laude, from the University of Pennsylvania and his Juris Doctor, cum laude, from Harvard Law School. After law school, he clerked for the Honorable Frank E. Schwelb on the Superior Court.
In accordance with D.C. Code § 1-204.34(d)(2) and DCMR § 28-2103.5, the Commission recommends the Honorable Sherry M. Trafford for the President’s consideration, along with any other candidates previously recommended to fill the Gardner vacancy:
Hon. Sherry M. Trafford has served as a Magistrate Judge on the Superior Court since February 2016. She has presided over calendars in all Divisions of the Superior Court. During her tenure with the court, Judge Trafford served as Presiding Magistrate and Deputy Presiding Magistrate Judge.
Before her appointment, Judge Trafford began her career with the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia (PDS) in its Civil Division, representing individuals in civil matters ancillary to their criminal cases. She also served as a staff attorney in the Mental Health Division, representing individuals in all stages of civil mental health commitment proceedings and criminal NGI post-commitment hearings. Before joining PDS, she was the recipient of a prestigious Skadden Public Interest Law Fellowship, which allowed her to serve as a staff attorney at the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law, providing technical assistance and training on the rights of persons with disabilities under the Fair Housing Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act. Judge Trafford served as the Board Chair for the Open Doors Chapter of More Light Presbyterians and now serves on the Board of Directors for Miriam’s
Kitchen.
Judge Trafford received her Bachelor of Arts degree with honors from Indiana University and her Juris Doctor from Yale Law School. After law school, she clerked for the Honorable William B. Bryant on the United States District Court for the District of Columbia.
The Honorable Marie C. Johns
PPC-Leftwich
1400 K Street, NW
Suite 1000
Washington, DC 20005-2403
(202) 434-9124
[email protected]
Benjamin F. Wilson, Esq.
7825 Orchid Street, N.W.
Washington, DC 20012
(202) 657-2534
[email protected]
Addy R. Schmitt, Esq.
Harris St. Laurent & Wechsler LLP
1775 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Suite 650
Washington, DC 20006
(202) 617-5791
[email protected]
Vincent H. Cohen, Jr., Esq.
Dechert LLP
1900 K Street, NW
Washington, DC 20006-1110
(202) 261-3432
[email protected]
Yaida O. Ford, Esq.
Ford Law Pros P.C.
1001 L Street, SE
Washington, DC, 20003
(202) 792-4946
[email protected]
The Honorable Linda W. Cropp
4001 18th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20011
(202) 726-0505
[email protected]
The Honorable Tanya S. Chutkan
United States District Court
for the District of Columbia
United States Courthouse
333 Constitution Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20001
(202) 354-3390
[email protected]